New management tools on EMBA student's wish list

Paolo Pineda comes from a family of MBA graduates. His father and uncles have all acquired the postgraduate qualification so, for the 37 year old, it was never a question of whether he should do one or not, but rather when.

Fifteen years of work experience later, Mr Pineda, head of business development at multimedia conglomerate ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation in the Philippines, is finally fulfilling his long-time goal. 'Personally and professionally, now is the perfect time for me to do the EMBA. It also coincides well with my company's objectives as we are looking to expand our market in the next 10 to 15 years.'

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, a media company that has traditionally provided entertainment to Filipinos worldwide via the internet, television and mobile devices, plans to gradually reach out to other audience segments with efforts beginning first in Asia.

'Given the industry's competitiveness, I am expecting to pick up some new management tools and business models from the programme for better decision making. I am, of course, also looking forward to meeting people from all parts of the world and learning from them about how they might deal with problems, decisions and challenges,' he said.

What attracted Mr Pineda to the course most was the way it was set up. Its structure and location made it a manageable choice for him as it minimised long periods away from both his work and family. 'Work-life balance will probably be the biggest challenge, though my organisation has been extremely supportive. In fact, they will be removing some of my functions, and are preparing someone under me to take on these responsibilities so I have more time to focus on the course,' he said.

The benefits of pursuing the EMBA during an economic downturn were not lost on him either. 'We are witnessing one of the most historically significant downturns since the Great Depression of the 1930s, so it will be a good time to be in the classroom, analysing what's going on and discussing how to plan for the next 10 years,' he said.